Two Witsies honoured in 2020 Queen’s Birthday Awards
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Professor Jeffrey Lipman (MBBCh 1972) and Dr Roger Pillemer (MBBCh 1965) have been recognised in the 2020 Queen’s Birthday Awards.
Professor Lipman received a Member of the Order of Australia for his significant service to medicine, anesthesiology and critical care, as well as education.
He is currently conjoint Associate Professor with the Royal Brisbane Clinical School, and a senior staff specialist in the Department of Intensive Care Medicine at Queensland's largest teaching hospital, the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital and Executive Director of the Burns, Trauma and Critical Care Research Centre.
His research into antibiotic dosing has changed antibiotic prescribing habits for critically ill patients and garnered him international recognition as an expert in the field after receiving an MD for pharmacokinetics of antibiotic dosage in 2006.
“Two of the biggest groups of antibiotics in the world were given differently when I started looking at it. With my research I’m quite proud of the fact that I’ve changed the way the world gives antibiotics in intensive care,” he told Australian Jewish News.
He admitted his initial disinterest in studying medicine, preferring computing and statistics.
“My mother, as a good Jewish mother, pushed me into medicine. I wasn’t keen initially until it became an obsession of mine, and from early on I wanted to do the best I could for my patients.
“I was so committed and so hard working that my family suffered a little bit. You can’t do this without the support of your wife and family. I work often 80 hours a week, when I’m on call sometimes more.”
Prior to moving to Australia in 1997 he was head of ICU at Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto and is married to fellow Wits alumna, physiotherapist Mariana.
Dr Pillemer was acknowledged for service to community health through his medical advisory roles.
He is an orthopaedic surgeon in private practice based in Sydney with a particular interest in matters relating to workers’ compensation and impairment assessments. He has held a number of advisory positions. Since 2002 he has been involved in training medical specialists and impairment assessors.
He said in an interview with Australian Jewish News: “I feel delighted and very honoured. I have done a wide range of work which involves teaching, advising, and providing guidelines on committees. I have published a range of YouTube videos showing physical signs on how to examine a patient. I have had many highlights in my life. I was the 1974 South African fellow so I visited hospitals, attended lectures and received education in the United States. This was a great honour, for orthopaedic surgeons to receive The ABC Travelling Fellowships. My kids are magnificent, I have seven wonderful grandchildren, and I am extremely proud of all of them.”